How to get to Manoa Falls Trail from Waikiki

ALOHA!

The Manoa Falls Trail is so worth it to do as a half-day trip from Waikiki if you want to experience a rainforest landscape in Hawaii!

Actually, before you even start the trail, on the road leading up to the start of it, I really felt like it already gives you a rainforest-like feeling! And it won’t take much hiking on the trail to get more of it!

You’ll walk the hiking trail through so much greenery and tropical plants. And your “destination” is the waterfalls. There is not always a ton of water flowing (so manage your expectations, I was kind of like “oh”), but it will always be a hike through a rainforest! I think the rainforest itself makes it worth it.

I also liked the part hiking through a bamboo forest! Well, more like a small bamboo grove. But bamboo trees nonetheless!

The hike itself is just under 2 miles round trip and takes about 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on fast or slow you’re hiking, plus how much you want to take in the scenery!

 

The Manoa Falls Trail is a pretty popular hike to do from Waikiki, and it’s something you can easily do on your own.

The cheapest way to get to Manoa Falls without a car is by bus, although it requires time and patience. You can also get to the start of Manoa Falls Trail by shuttle, bike, and a guided hiking tour.

If you are renting a car, then there is a parking lot near the Manoa Falls trailhead, with a parking fee.

Otherwise, the hike to Manoa Falls is FREE! And no reservations are necessary.

 

👆 Your destination is the Manoa Falls observation area.

 

👆 It’s a hike through lots of green!

 

👆 The Manoa Falls Trail length is officially 0.8 miles one way with an elevation gain of 396 feet. So it’s a 1.6 mile hike. Most people hike it in 1 to 2 hours.

 

It’s a good idea to be wearing proper shoes, preferably hiking shoes, but running shoes will also be just fine. I do think it’s better to wear actual shoes and not sandals, even if they are hiking sandals.

There’s a chance that your feet might get muddy, so you might want to be prepared for that.

For me, that meant I was really happy that I had extra socks to change into! At least it made me feel a little bit better. 🤪

I was wearing running shoes that weren’t waterproof, so the dirt got inside my shoes.

So, if you have waterproof hiking shoes, Manoa Falls Trail would be a good hike to wear them for!

Manoa Falls Trail gets muddy often enough that there’s actually a hose for you to use to spray off your feet at a foot-washing station of sorts! (It’s near the gift shop that you’ll pass on your way to the trail.)

They also sell bug spray near the Manoa Falls trailhead so I guess it might get buggy some days, although I never had an issue with bugs.

 

Waikiki to the Manoa Falls trailhead is around 6 to 7 miles. It’s easy to take the bus there. You can also go by shuttle or even bike there! By car, it’s about a 20 minute drive.

Now, I’ll show you below a little bit more about the different ways you can get to Manoa Falls from Waikiki!

 

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How to get to Manoa Falls Trail

Now, here is more about getting to Manoa Falls from Waikiki, by car, shuttle, or bus.

 

Driving (trailhead parking)

If you already know that you want to rent a car, then you can drive to Manoa Falls. There is a parking lot near the trailhead, and it is paid parking of around $7.

 

👆 It’s no problem to drive to Manoa Falls. It will be about a 20 minute drive from Waikiki.

 

👆 There’s a parking lot near the Manoa Falls parking lot. You can expect the parking fee to be around $7. You might get a friendly chicken greeting! 😂

 

👆 You can buy some last minute hiking supplies from the parking attendant… like bug repellent! There’s also some stuff in the gift shop.

 

To rent a car to go to Manoa Falls, search for the cheapest car rentals. The best prices will generally be from Honolulu Airport.

Take a look at expedia car rentals and discovercars.

 

Shuttle

It’s also possible to get to Manoa Falls by shuttle from Waikiki. It’s a round trip shuttle, and this can be a convenient option if you don’t want to take the bus and you won’t be renting a car.

The shuttle picks you up in Waikiki and drops you off near the Manoa Falls trailhead, so it’s an easy and direct way to get there.

It’s just transportation which means you’re on your own to hike to the waterfalls. It’s not a guided hike. You’ll get designated meet-up time for the return shuttle.

Read the reviews for the Manoa Falls shuttle.

You can also have a guided hike to the waterfalls that comes with round trip transportation with a Waikiki pick-up.

Read the reviews for the guided hike to Manoa Falls.

 

 

Bus

I’ve taken the bus twice to get to Manoa Falls.

My last time was actually on a cruise ship visit! So it was from Honolulu cruise port.

 

👆 Welcome to Manoa Valley! You can get from Waikiki to Manoa Falls by bus. This is bus #5 that goes to Manoa Valley at the bus stop closest to the Manoa Falls trailhead. You’ll get off the bus in a residential neighborhood. From here, it’s a 10 to 15 minute walk to start the hike!

 

Overall, expect the time in transit from Waikiki to the Manoa Falls trailhead to take 1 to 1.5 hours one way.

Whether it’s closer to 1 hour or 1.5 hours entirely depends on your timing and/or which bus route you choose to take! A bus transfer will be necessary no matter what. Google maps makes it easy to navigate by bus to Manoa Falls! Just look for the public transit icon, pick a route you like, and do what it says!

Depending on your timing, you might be given a bus route that drops you off about a 10 to 15 minute walk from the trailhead, or about a 30 minute walk to the trailhead.

Of course the one with less walking is more ideal, so just look out for that! If you expand the details of the bus route, you will see how much walking you need to do from the bus stop to the trailhead, and how much waiting you need to do for that bus route.

The bus goes through a residential neighborhood in Manoa Valley. As a residential neighborhood, bus timings are less frequent so it is helpful to plan ahead. (This could be the difference between waiting an extra 30 minutes, for example.)

The last time I went to Manoa Falls, I did a search to go back right after I got off the bus before the hike. I took screenshots of future bus timings for the way back. Then, as I was approaching the end of the trail, I started looking closer at what the next bus timings are. I started walking quicker when I saw that it was coming soon so I wouldn’t have to wait for the next bus after that!

I honestly don’t remember if I had data service or not on the trail. I thought it’d be a good thing to do just in case!

 

👆 Google maps is the easy way to figure out how to get from Waikiki to Manoa Falls by bus!

 

👆 The HOLO card makes it easy to take the bus to Manoa Falls! You can buy one in Waikiki.

 

👆 Plenty of people go by bus, so you can be assured that it’s easy enough! See more about taking the bus to Manoa Falls.

 

 

Uber

Finally, there is Uber in Waikiki. Since it’s a 20 to 30 minute drive, you might find it reasonable to take uber to the Manoa Falls trailhead. You can check the uber app even if you’re not currently in Hawaii just to get an idea of how much it will cost. For the best estimate, try to do a search during the day Hawaii time since it will be based on real-time data of available drivers!

I have also seen a taxi near the Manoa Falls trailhead, so you can take a taxi too! Just to give you an idea, the well-known taxi company called Charley’s Taxi lists their flat rate as $36 for a one-way taxi from Waikiki to Manoa Falls. Of course this can change.

 

👆 You can take a taxi to Manoa Falls.

 

 

Hiking the Manoa Falls Trail

👆 This is the Manoa Falls trailhead, where you will officially start your hike to Manoa Falls!

 

👆 The hike to Manoa Falls is a hike through a rainforest!

 

👆 You’ll see many different types of trees.

 

👆 You’ll hike through bamboo trees on your way to Manoa Falls!

 

👆 It’s Manoa Falls!

 

👆 This sign is at the Manoa Falls observation area. The State of Hawaii wants you to know that a landslide is possible at Manoa Falls and getting closer to the waterfalls is risky.

 

👆 You can even get to Manoa Falls by bike!

 

And finally… the boring safety things. Hiking in Hawaii can be dangerous! When you don’t know much about any particular trail, take the warnings you see seriously! It’s quite possible that you will see people ignoring the signs at Manoa Falls. But the warnings are there for a reason. While it seems like a major rockfall hasn’t happened at Manoa Falls in recent years, that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. It’s happened at different waterfalls in Hawaii where there have been serious consequences.

Take care when hiking in Hawaii!

 

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